My baby girl is all growed up.

Actually she has been all grown up for quite a while LOL but tomorrow she turns 30 and makes me feel very old. To celebrate, last saturday she hired the hall at our local community centre and had a 'bit of a do'.

Inspired by the geogeous milk bar on that talented lady Debbie's blog, I set about the decorations for her. In contrast to her pink and silver themed 21's party she went for a blue theme this time round.




Rather than a large birthday cake together we came up with the idea of a cupcake bar, and then spent two days baking umpteen cakes between the two of us.


(sorry the photos are a bit rubbish, my poor old Fuji didnt cope well with the dark hall vs the outside light and white table cloth).

It was little baby Finley's first party and he got lots of cuddles as he was passed around plenty of new 'aunties' desperate for a little hold and sniff of his babyness. He also got to have his first ever slow dance with his grandad.

I also didnt have my mega big memory card with me so all the later evening shots are on my dad's camera (yes we made him finally get it out the boot of the car) and I havent pinched them back off him yet.

In other news: I worked my last two days ever at the Children's Centre this week, budget cuts meaning they can no longer afford 6 teachers. I was rather sad in the way it was all handled as, although those of us on supply contracts had been promised a decent bit of notice, I didnt actually have more than a day, and had no chance to visit my nurseries and groups to say a proper goodbye, or to enjoy cakes and hugs with the lovely people I have been working with for over a year now. I am back to waiting for phone calls from the agency and hunting the web for jobs, *sigh*.

Anyway finally all that promised craft stuff !

We decorated the front bedroom and made a nursery!

We had the front bedroom replastered to smooth off the walls (and fill in all the hundreds of screw holes in the walls )which then painted in Almond White paint giving a lovely plain background. When I started out, we still didnt know the flavour of baby Laura was to have so I needed to find something fairly neutral but also something that wasnt too baby orientated as I still need the room as a guest room. A photo on the net and bedding from Dunelem supplied me with my theme of Owls.

I bought a duvet set for a single bed, which I cut down to make the cot quilt cover.

With careful cutting I was able to cover the frame of the picture I printed out and added embellishments to,

as well as make two cushion covers (including the applique owl).

The banner I started while on my weekend scrappy retreat at Debden

but I was able to add the name once Finley had been born.
Alongside the new cot, the mosquitto net, the new lamp, the repainted mirror and the pictures from the internet that I printed out and framed, I think the room looks pretty cool.



I've been flitting between my sewing machine, and my scrapbooking tables for the last couple of months. I spent quite a bit of time making a dress for the party. This is not a good image of it but you get the gist.

Its Simplicity 2362, a pattern I bought last year but which has sat waiting for me to find some reasonably priced suitable fabric for. C&A fabric shop finally had the kind of remnants I liked at a price I felt reasonable and I got this and two other peices. The pattern went together really easily and for once it fit in all the right places with no alterations. I had to shorten the skirt bit and add a small ruffle at the hem as the remnant wasnt quite long enough for the whole pattern piece to fit but I am really pleased with the result.



I have a whole raft of layouts and scrappy stuff to share but this post is getting very long so I will put those all up in a new post once I get blogger to accept a few more photos.